Tablet container and dispenser



May 8, 1962 w. E. VAN SICKLE TABLET CONTAINER AND DISPENSER 2 Sheets$heet 1 Filed Sept. 26, 1961 INVENTOR. WILTON E- VAN S\c\ L.E

ATTORNEYS May 8, 1962 w. E. VAN SICKLE 3,033,355

TABLET CONTAINER AND DISPENSER Filed Sept. 26, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. WILTON E. VAN S\ci v e ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,033,355 Patented May 8, 1962 3,033,355 TABLET CONTAINER AND DISPENSER Wilton E. Van Sickle, Box 1983, Lincoln, Nebr. Filed Sept. 26, 1961, Ser. No. 140,865 1 Claim. (Cl. 206-42) This invention relates to dispensing devices or containers for tablets or pills, and more particularly to a pocket carrier for tablets or pills which are intended to be consumed in a regular predetermined sequence.

The main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved tablet dispensing container which is relatively simple in construction, which is compact in size, and provides a convenient and safe receptacle for tablets or pills while allowing same to be easily dispensed as required.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved tablet container and dispenser which is inexpensive to manufacture, is durable in construction, and which is neat in appearance, which is easy to open and close, and which is so arranged that the tablets or pills may be removed therefrom in a regular sequence, the container being arranged so that it may be opened to allow access to a tablet to be removed while preventing the remaining tablets from falling out of the container.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claim, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an improved tablet container and dispenser constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the container of FIGURE 1 with the parts thereof in separated positions.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged top plan View of the tablet container and dispenser of FIGURES l and 2, shown in partly open position for dispensing a tablet therefrom.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 44 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 55 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a longitudinal vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 66 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 7 is a transverse vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 8 is an elevational view showing the manner in which the cover member is snapped onto the main receptacle member of the tablet container after the container has been been filled with tablets and prior to the sale or merchandising of the filled container.

Referring to the drawings, 11 generally designates an improved tablet container and dispenser constructed in accordance with the present invention, the container 11 comprising a drawer-like receptacle 12 of generally rectangular shape having parallel longitudinal walls 13, 13 and having transversely extending end walls 14, 14. The receptacle 12 is provided with suitable partition means defining at least two longitudinal rows of compartments, for example, said receptacle is provided with a longitudinally extending central partition member 15 and with the laterally extending transverse partition members 16 connecting the central partition member 15 to the side walls 13, 13 and being spaced equal distances from each other but being staggered relative to each other on the opposite sides of the longitudinal central partition wall member 15, as is clearly shown in FIGURE 2. There is thus defined a plurality of rows of compartments 17, namely, two rows of said compartments located on the opposite sides of the longitudinally extending central partition wall 15, the compartments 17 being staggered relative to each other on the opposite sides of said partition wall 15.

The receptacle 12 is provided with concavely beveled bottom longitudinally corner edges 18, 18. Designated at 19 is a generally channel-shaped cover member comprising the main wall 20 and the depending longitudinal side flanges 21, 21, the cover member 19 being adapted to slidably engage on the receptacle 12 with the depending side flanges 21, 21 thereof engaging the longitudinal walls 13, 13 of the receptacle. The flanges 21, 21 are provided at their free bottom edges with inwardly projecting ribs 22, 22 respectively receivable in the longitudinal concave bevels 18, 18.

The receptacle 12 and the associated cover member 19 are preferably made of transparent plastic material, whereby the cover member 19 is somewhat flexible and may be engaged on the main receptacle 12 in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 8, namely, by first engaging the cover member over one side of the receptacle and then sliding the opposite flange 21 over the other side ofthe receptacle, until the rib 22 of said opposite flange snaps into the associated concave bevel 18.

The end marginal portions of the main wall 20 of cover member 19 are formed respectively with a depending locking detent lug 23 and a frangible depending stop lug 24, the depending lug elements 23 and 24 being located so as to lockingly engage with the inside surfaces of the top edge portions of the transverse end walls 14, 14 of receptacle 12 when the cover member 19 is engaged thereon in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 1. The integrally molded depending stop lugs 24, 24 are readily frangible so that they may be broken oif by exerting a force on the cover member in a longitudinal direction while holding the receptacle member 12, the detent lug elements 23 being rounded so that they are slidable over the top edges of the transverse walls 14 of receptacle 12 after either of the stop lugs 24 has been broken ofi. The main wall 20 of cover member 19 is snficiently flexible to allow the detent lugs 23 to slide over the top edge of the subjacent transverse wall 14 when the cover is moved toward an open position. Similarly, the wall 20' is yieldable to allow the detent elements 23 to be returned to a position inwardly adjacent the transverse wall 14 of the receptacle 12, whereby the cover member 19 may be releasably lockedin closed position.

As shown in FIGURE 3, the tablets or pills 25 disposed in the compartments 17 may be sequentially dispensed by opening the cover 19 sufficiently to expose one of the tablets 25. In this position, the next tablet, namely, the adjacent tablet in the row on the opposite side of the partition wall 15 is only partially exposed and is retained by the overlying marginal portion of cover 19 so that it cannot fall out. In this manner, a single tablet may be dispensed as it is required without the risk of dropping a second tablet out of the container. Furthermore, the tablets are dispensed in an orderly alternate sequence, first from one row and then from the other, until ultimately, all of the tablets are used up.

As will be readily understood, the dispensing of the tablets may be started from either end of the container 12, it being merely necessary to push the cover member 19 rearwardly away from the starting end of the container with sufficient force to break the depending frangible locking lug 24 at the opposite end of the cover member.

As shown in FIGURES 5 and 6, the corner portions of the cover member 19 between the flanges 21 and the main portion 20 thereof are somewhat reduced in thickness, as shown at 27, to facilitate the flexure of the flanges relative to the main portion 20 when the cover is being engaged on the receptacle 12 in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 8.

While a specific embodiment of an improved tablet container and dispenser has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modi- 3 fications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A tablet container and dispenser comprising a drawerlike receptacle having parallel vertical longitudinal Walls and transversely extending vertical end walls, a longitudinally extending vertical central partition member in the receptacle and laterally extending transverse vertical partition members connecting said central partition member to the side Walls of the receptacle, said laterally eX- tending partition members being spaced equal distances from each other but being staggered relative to each other on the opposite sides of the central partition member and defining two longitudinal rows of substantially identical, transversely extending and transversely elongated compartments, the compartments of the adjacent rows being staggered with respect to each other, said receptacle having concavely beveled bottom longitudinal corner edges, a cover member slidably engaged on said receptacle and having depending longitudinal flanges engaging the longitudinal walls of the receptacle, said cover member being relatively flexible in a transverse direction, respective inwardly projecting inwardly tapering ribs on the longitudinal free edges of the flanges slidably engageable in the concave bevels at said bottom longitudinal corner edges to retain the cover member in telescopic longitudinally sliding relation with the receptacle, depending detent lugs and frangible depending locking lug on the transverse margins of the cover member located to lockingly engage with the inside surfaces of the transversely extending vertical end Walls of the receptacle, the longitudinal corner portions of the cover member adjacent the flanges being relatively reduced in thickness to facilitate the fleXure of the flanges relative to the main portion of the cover member when the cover member is being engaged on the receptacle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 828,151 Upjohn Aug. 7, 1906 2,411,471 Sherman Nov. 19, 1946 2,777,570 Mytinger Jan. 15, 1957 2,917,162 Horland Dec. 15, 1959 2,984,382 Florsheim May 16, 1961 

